This invention relates to a computer with parallel processing units organized as a multiple task oriented processor, and in particular to a computer system in which critical variables are stored so as to permit quick recovery from an event which causes a temporary loss of information in the fast operating memory, and prevents normal processing.
Many missiles, spacecraft, and pilotless aircraft are conventionally provided with a guidance and control system including navigation means for automatically operating the flight controls to cause the missile or aircraft to fly in accord with a desired mission. The guidance system may include an on-board computer, a ground computer, or a combination of on-board and ground computers. For military applications, one requirement of such guidance systems is the ability to survive the radiation from a nuclear "event", e.g., the system must be nuclear radiation hardened.
Computers designed to withstand severe, weapon induced radiation environment have traditionally used exotic, expensive memory and integrated circuit (IC) technologies (plated wire memories and dielectrically isolated ICs). Computers that can recover from transient radiation events have had to resort to complex hardware/software circumvention and recovery techniques.